Tag Archives: sparrow

I’m struggling to write this blog entry because my mind is lost in a field of bliss. I’m not sure why.

Oh yes! The trolls I evoked at the back of our garden! ‘Hear the wisdom’, ‘Smell the wisdom’ and ‘Taste the wisdom’, or as I called them today Hear-the-goodness, Smell-the-goodness and Taste-the-goodness.

“Hear the goodness!” said Hear-the-goodness, putting a finger in one of their large pointy ears. And so I listened. I listened to the chattering of countless sparrows, the bickering of blackbirds, and the deep jangles of the wooden wind-chime that hangs from our apple tree. I heard the goodness and I heard the wisdom.

“Smell the goodness!” said Smell-the-goodness, putting a finger in one of their nostrils. And so I sniffed the air and sniffed again searching for scents. The delicate mingled aromas of the various spring flowers and blossom landed in my nose, as did the smell of recent rain in the soil and the freshness of the sage. I smelt the goodness and I smelt the wisdom.

Taste-the-goodness pulled their tongue inside just long enough to say “Taste the goodness!” I joined them in tasting the air with my tongue to see what tastes I could detect in the air. I could taste, nothing, which surprised me at first. But then I realised what I couldn’t taste. I couldn’t taste the bitter taste of traffic pollution, or of dust clouds or of smog. I couldn’t taste a city. Slowly I began to realise what I could taste. The ever subtle freshness of spring, the clearness of the air shortly after a rain shower. I tasted the wisdom and I tasted the goodness.

“And some magicians choose to live in big cities? Where is the wisdom in that? Where is the goodness in that?” were my thoughts as I sat lazily in my garden on this beautiful spring weekend.

“Now go feed the birds.” Hear-the-wisdom told me, “After all, they give us so much more than we give them.”

“And remember to water the plants when it doesn’t rain.” said Smell-the-wisdom. “After all, they give us so much more than we give them.”

Taste-the-wisdom winked a knowing wink without taking its tongue out of its mouth, too busy tasting the clean air.